Clear Self Tanners Are Here To Save Your Clothes & Sheets

Close your eyes for a moment and try to picture your idea of self tanner. Is it a tinted lotion that smells like burnt toast? A foaming fluid that imprints the Shroud of Turin on your sheets overnight? A brown mist that gradually turns your white bathroom tile to bronze?

What if we told you there were actually self tanners out there that look and feel like water, smell like practically nothing, and won't stain your white cut-offs. No, you're not dreaming — this is actually a reality now in 2017, thanks to a few companies who listened to our complaints and got inventive with their formulas.

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The fact is, you don't actually NEED a tinted formula for the active tanning ingredient (DHA) to work. Most of the added colourants are to adjust the shade of the tan or to provide a guide color for even application. In fact, co-founder of Tan-Luxe, Marc Elrick, tells us that some of these dyes can actually prevent the DHA from penetrating the skin, which shortens your tan's lifespan before it begins.

There aren't a ton of products on the market with this innovation quite yet, but there are a few gems we've tried and loved. Click ahead to check out five dye-free products necessary for all the self-tanning skeptics and devotees out there.

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Beauty editors have sworn by these under-the-radar tanning sheets for years. The clear formula is easy to use and totally mess free. She sweeps them on before bed and is a totally even medium-tan shade by morning — white sheets completely unharmed. Be warned that it takes a few sheets to cover your entire body, and it definitely comes with that self tanner stink. But for a last-minute professional-looking tan, it's worth it.

Mix DHA with vitamins B,C, E, and raspberry oil and you get a tanning mousse that leaves your skin hydrated, smooth as silk, and tan within four hours. You can swirl it on, throw on clothes, and go about your day without a single brown streak on your outfit. But be warned: This stuff works fast and hard. Heed the shade names (light to medium or medium to dark), because they're not messing around.

Brown tanning lotions and creams are notoriously gross — it's just a fact most self-tanning lovers live with. But this new formula from St. Tropez is quite the opposite. In fact, some of us have even swapped out our daily body moisturiser for this cream.

It dries immediately and, despite the "gradual" label, offers up a sun-kissed tan within two hours. So, if you're rocking a dress to a wedding and forgot to spray tan, this will have you glowing by the reception.

For many, face tanners are not a complexion's best friend. The formulas can often be clogging or cause breakouts — with the exception of these pads from Dr. Dennis Gross.

With one swipe, the AHA and BHA formula exfoliates and smooths skin better than a grainy scrub. Even better: Each one is packed with DHA to gradually bronze your skin overnight (without staining your pillowcase) or throughout the day. After a few applications, it'll look like you got a facial while on vacation in Aruba — even if you haven't left your desk.

Coconut oil lovers rejoice — a self-tanning, coconut-based formula finally exists so your dry skin can feel nourished — and tan as hell. This is the first-ever coconut balm is infused with DHA and, damn, is it a beautiful combo. Not only does it dissolve and melt the minute it touches the skin, but it develops within 8 hours to a full body glow. We recommend using a glove to apply — the formula is greasy (as you might expect) and gloves will help guarantee a more even tan.

The first-ever self-tanning sheet mask exists and it combines the best of two skin-care worlds: DHA (to gradually bronze) and hyaluronic acid (to boost moisture). Slip it over your face like any other sheet mask, let it do its job for up to 15 minutes (depending on the level of tan you want), and you'll wake up with a believable glow. Just be careful to watch the placement and rub the residual serum in after you finish: One of our editor's masks slipped a little too low on her face, creating a pretty unflattering line of demarcation.